What is Leon Edwards’ net worth?
Net Worth: | $1.2 Million |
---|---|
Age: | 31 |
Born: | August 25, 1991 |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 1.83 m |
Country of Origin: | United Kingdom |
Source of Wealth: | Professional MMA Fighter |
Last Updated: | November 29, 2022 |
Introduction
Leon Edwards is a Jamaican-English mixed martial artist who won the UFC Welterweight Championship in August 2022.
He made his professional debut in 2011 and had his first match in the UFC three years later against Claudio Silva.
As of March 2023, Leon Edwards’ net worth is estimated to be $1.2 Million.
Leon Edwards’ Facts
- Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica and moved to England during his childhood.
- He began his mixed martial arts career with Fight UK MMA in 2011.
- In 2012, Edwards began competing in BAMMA where he became the promotion’s welterweight division champion.
- Edwards made his UFC debut in 2014, but lost his first match to Claudio Silva.
- At UFC 278 in 2022, Edwards defeated UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman for the title.
Early Life
Leon Edwards was born 25 August 1991 in Kingston, Jamaica and moved to England during his childhood.
Edwards had a rough childhood as his father was killed when Edwards was just 13 years old, which set him down a wayward path early on.
During his teenage years, Edwards ran with the wrong crowd and committed several crimes before his mother had him join an MMA club and it changed his life
Edwards began training at 17 years old, and within two years began fighting at the amateur level with a win over Carl Booth, and started his professional MMA fighting career debut with a technical knockout win over Damian Zlotnicki.
Career
Leon Edwards moved up to the middleweight division for his second career fight and defeated Pawel Zwiefka, but dropped his third match via disqualification against Delroy McDowell.
Edwards then went on a winning streak when he joined BAMMA, going 5-0 during that time between 2012 and 2014.
In May 2014, Edwards won the BAMMA Welterweight Championship by defeating Wayne Murrie via submission and defended his title against Shaun Taylor before fighting for Dana White and the UFC.
Edwards actually lost his UFC debut against Claudio Silva, but rebounded with wins against Seth Baczynski and Pawel Pawlak.
Following his loss to Kamaru Usman in 2015, Edwards began a winning streak that included wins over Rafael dos Anjos and Nate Diaz and culminated with a win over Usman for the UFC Welterweight Championship in the Performance of the Night.
Leon Edwards’ Career Earnings
Leon Edwards came from humble beginnings as an MMA fighter, earning a livable wage early in his career before becoming a household name.
Now, Edwards is among the highest paid fighters as his career earnings have skyrocketed since UFC rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s an estimated overview of Leon Edwards’ career earnings:
- Leon Edwards’ Salary In 2014 – $20,000
- Leon Edwards’ Salary In 2015 – $120,000
- Leon Edwards’ Salary In 2016 – $75,000
- Leon Edwards’ Salary In 2017 – $125,000
- Leon Edwards’ Salary In 2018 – $175,000
- Leon Edwards’ Salary In 2019 – $250,000
- Leon Edwards’ Salary In 2020 – $50,000
- Leon Edwards’ Salary In 2021 – $300,000
- Leon Edwards’ Salary In 2022 – $450,000
Winning a title in Ultimate Fighting Championship paves the way for a lot more earnings in an MMA career.
Edwards capitalized on his title shot, and now his salary in the future will undoubtedly be higher than it’s ever been before.
Leon Edwards’ Net Worth Annually
Throughout his professional career, Leon Edwards has gone from someone just getting by to his current position of thriving.
Working his way up the ladder of richest MMA fighters in the world, Edwards is now a champion that will continue to pad his bank account as long as he keeps fighting.
Here’s a breakdown of Leon Edwards’ annual net worth:
- Leon Edwards’ Net Worth In 2014 – $15,000
- Leon Edwards’ Net Worth In 2015 – $110,000
- Leon Edwards’ Net Worth In 2016 – $175,000
- Leon Edwards’ Net Worth In 2017 – $250,000
- Leon Edwards’Net Worth In 2018 – $350,000
- Leon Edwards’ Net Worth In 2019 – $550,000
- Leon Edwards’ Net Worth In 2020 – $500,000
- Leon Edwards’ Net Worth In 2021 – $750,000
- Leon Edwards’ Net Worth In 2022 – $1.2 Million
In mixed martial arts, those with a title belt get much larger payouts and a lot more sponsorship opportunities.
As a result, Edwards will undoubtedly be able to grow his net worth in the coming years, especially with a win bonus during a title defense paying out $50,000 for each one.
Personal Life
Leon Edwards and his brother Fabian were born in Kingston, Jamaica, but moved to Birmingham, England when he was nine.
Edwards has a son named Jayon who was born in 2015, though the identity of Jayon’s mother has been kept private.
It’s believed that Edwards has never been married, and his current relationship status is not known by the public as Edwards separates his personal and professional lives.
Edwards is active on social media with an official Twitter account and official Instagram account that are updated regularly.
Awards & Achievements
Leon Edwards didn’t come into mixed martial arts with a long resume, and it took him some time before he got his first title shot.
Once he was given the opportunity, though, Edwards showed that he could fight with the best and now has an impressive resume.
From Leon Edwards’ career in BAMMA and UFC, here are his best awards and achievements:
- BAMMA RDX Welterweight Championship with one successful title defense.
- UFC Welterweight Champion after defeating Kamaru Usman at UFC 278.
- Two-time Performance of the Night Winner in matches against Usman and Seth Baczynski.
- MMAjunkie.com winner of Knockout of the Month (August 2022 against Usman).
- One of the fastest wins in UFC history (8 seconds against Seth Baczynski).
Now as one of the biggest names in UFC, Edwards will continue to add to his legacy, especially if he can secure a long title reign.
He’s come a long way from the days of Fight UK MMA and is now one of the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters in the world.
How Does Leon Edwards Spend His Money?
Leon Edwards is working his way to becoming one of the top-paid MMA fighters to join the likes of Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva, though he doesn’t tend to spend big just yet.
Instead of shopping for the most expensive cars in the world for himself, Edwards’ biggest automobile purchase came when he got a brand new car for his mother.
Edwards comes from humble beginnings so he doesn’t shop around for the most expensive houses in the world, instead opting to live in a modest house.
He has said that he has used some of his UFC payouts to buy hearing aids for his grandmother and prefers to keep much of his money safe.
Highlights
Ever since making his professional debut, Leon Edwards has had many memorable moments that include wins over Vicente Luque at a UFC Fight Night event and title fights in multiple promotions.
Edwards started off at Bushido Challenge back in 2010, and along the way has faced some stiff competition and racked up plenty of wins.
Here are some of the best highlights of Leon Edwards’ career:
- Made his professional MMA debut with a win against Damian Zlotnicki in 2011.
- In 2012, made his BAMMA debut with a victory over Jonathan Bilton.
- Premiered in the UFC against Claudio Silva at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux in 2014.
- Earned Performance of the Night against Seth Baczysnki at UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2.
- Became the first Jamaican-born UFC Champion at UFC 278 by winning the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Long gone are the days of Fight UK MMA as Edwards is now focused on taking on the UFC’s top names for the rest of his career.
The professional mixed martial artist has had one highlight after another, and is hoping his career leads him to the Hall of Fame.
Favorite Leon Edwards Quotes
Leon Edwards earned his spot in the UFC with some up and down moments, and he’s always been open about his learning experience.
Edwards is always good for a memorable line when Joe Rogan gives him a microphone as he’s one of the most confident fighters thanks to his successful MMA career.
Here are our favorite quotes from Leon Edwards:
- ” I was born in Jamaica with nothing, now look at me.” – Leon Edwards
- ” I’m from the trenches, I’m built like this.” – Leon Edwards
- ” I told you I’d do it, Mum. I told you I’d change our (expletive) life, and I did it.” – Leon Edwards
- ” Everyone out there is tweeting and talking (expletive) but I’m the only one that’s making moves.” – Leon Edwards
- ” I have to get it back in the octagon or in the street.” – Leon Edwards
3 Amazing Lessons From Leon Edwards
Leon Edwards grew up in a small shack in Jamaica and moved to England where he became a professional fighter, learning a lot along the way.
Edwards could’ve fallen into a life of crime himself, but instead found mixed martial arts as an outlet and it’s taught him many lessons and brought a lot of success.
Now that you know all about Leon Edwards’ net worth, there is plenty to learn from the UFC’s welterweight division champion.
Here are some of the best success lessons to learn from Leon Edwards:
1. Stay Humble
The life of a professional fighter is often seen as one of glitz and glam, but Leon Edwards prefers to be more subdued because of his upbringing.
Edwards has acknowledged that if it weren’t for MMA, he’d be in prison, broke, or even dead, and thanks his mother for getting him into the sport.
Fame hasn’t gone to Edwards’ head as he maintains focus for each fight and gives respect to his opponents in the octagon.
2. Stay Hungry
After reaching the pinnacle of mixed martial arts, it would’ve been easy for Edwards to coast on his achievements.
Instead, Edwards has continued to train just as hard as ever, which is why he’s a great fighting champion in the UFC.
There’s a certain type of mentality that you have to have as an athlete to stay at the top once you get there, and Edwards has that in spades.
3. Stay Focused
Once you start to get a lot of attention for your work, it’s easy to get sidetracked and swept up in the fame.
Leon Edwards tends to stay away from all of the trash-talking that comes with being a professional fighter and limits his time on social media.
Edwards has the right people surrounding him that keep him focused and training toward keeping his place as a champion.
Summary
Leon Edwards is one of the best rags to riches stories in the Ultimate Fighting Championship after tragedy struck his family at a young age.
Edwards was able to find his calling as an MMA fighter and cut his teeth in England before becoming a global icon that earned a title fight.
Now, Edwards is on top of the world as a champion and multi-millionaire that will only become richer in the coming years.
As of March 2023, Leon Edwards’ net worth is estimated to be $1.2 Million.